Sentinel
by Imanoilman
Summary: Link is Hyrule's newest and most promising Royal Guardsman. His one task: to protect and serve the royal family. But when assassins threaten his liege and true love, what lengths will he go to in order to protect them? Set after mm.
1. Chapter 1

Link's whole body ached. He groaned as he grabbed the bar he hung from, unclenching his legs from the iron rod. He carefully dropped to the ground, breathing heavily. Link stood for a moment, then sat for several more. His morning workout never got easier. If it could be called a 'morning' workout. It took about four hours to do his usual routine. Link had to wake up early to complete it before noon. At least today he didn't have afternoon sparring.

Link knew he didn't have to push himself so hard. The other royal bodyguards' all worked out together. Link had joined them a couple of times. Small Hans, a giant of a man, led the workout. An hour run, followed by a half hour of calisthenics and sprints. Sure, it kept one at a certain level of physical health, but as did any number of things. Like lumberjacking. Or ditch digging. Link sighed. He shouldn't think such things. The other bodyguards were good men, handpicked by Zelda's father, King Harkinian, and had seen years of service. Still though, Link wished they kept themselves in better shape, like himself. One needed every advantage, when danger potentially lurked in any and all places. That was a lesson he had learned ages ago, in a time that didn't exist anymore.

Link broke from his reverie. His hands were shaking. Those memories were better left alone. He shook his head and stood. He grabbed his white tabard, his eyes taking a sweep of what his life was now.

The room described it well. A small bed, no blanket or pillow. A chamber pot, freshly used. One set of neatly folded clothing, a copy of the one he was currently putting on. An iron bar bolted to the ceiling, his one piece of exercise equipment. A dummy dressed in Link's heavy mail, a sword and shield resting on a rack to the side of the little wooden man. On the far side of the room, next to the door, hung a small mirror. It was the one thing Link had allowed himself, a break from the usual raw necessity of his other worldly possessions.

Now, Link was many things. He was quiet. He was raised in the woods. He was a musician, not that anyone knew that but Link himself. He was also considered a very good looking man. This was also known to Link. The mirror was a reminder of that. It was a tool to feed his vanity, absolutely, but also a tool to forget his insecurities. Link had no shortage of insecurities.

Link jerked on a wool undershirt, tossed on his chain mail byrnie, fit his head and arms through his white tabard, cinched on his belt, sheathed his sword, buckled on his shield and shook on his plated boots and gauntlets. He took a quick look at the mirror and pushed open the door. The modest chamber opened to a grand corridor, bedecked in tapestries and even a pleasant red carpet. The white stone of Hyrule Castle shone, and the grand window at the end of the hallway helped dispel some of the shadows inherent in a castle.

Link quietly clacked down the corridor, took a right, two lefts and went up a flight of stairs. He was excited of the day that had been planned today. Zelda had a desire to go to Lake Hylia today, and had requested an escort of four to attend to her. Link was still sore all over his body, but didn't regret his decision to volunteer to be one of those four. It was Zelda. The funniest, smartest, most beautiful-

Link spun around, catching the fist and using its momentum to throw its owner. The assailant put himself into the throw whole heartedly, gracefully rolling away the impact as he hit the ground to Link's front. Link grabbed his sword, unsheathing it halfway as the other man hopped out of his roll and into a tackle, sending them both to the ground. Link grabbed the man's wrist, who's hand was suddenly full of dagger, and kneed him in the gut. The blow didn't seem to faze him. The man struggled to a dominating position on top of Link, using his leverage to bring his dagger down on Link. Link desperately tried to keep the man's arm locked in place, but his arms were still fatigued from his exercises. The blade came closer and closer to Link's throat, until Link could feel the edge on his jugular.

"You lose." Lucien said in a whisper, as he rolled off of Link's stomach. Link groaned and sat up, rubbing his throat. "I keep telling you, buddy. Daggers." Lucien laughed. "The little bastards are terrible in a fair fight, but when a guy jumps you, gets you close, they're your best friends." His smile turned into a cheeky grin as he helped Link to his feet. " I really got you, didn't I? Do I smell urine?"

Lucien was young, of an age with Link, and also one of the Royal Family's bodyguards. Lucien was a long limbed blond haired man, his shaggy mane coming down to his smiling hazel eyes. He actually looked a bit like Link, but where Lucien was thin, tall and graceful, Link was athletic, midsized and deliberate. He and Link were best friends.

Link scowled as he said "You got lucky. Next time I'll be ready. Are you coming with me to escort Her Grace?"

Lucien shook his head and grimaced. "I'd love to have a day of fun in the sun, but unfortunately it looks like I'll just be having a day in the sun. I'm sparring today, Cap's orders. He says he wants my fire stance to be as good as his, or at least as good as yours. I am thinking that he may be in for a bit of a disappointment."

Link shook his head. The cap', as Lucien called him, was actually Lucien's father. Captain Jacob was the leader of the Royal Family's bodyguard, and for good reason. He was the best swordsman Link had ever seen. The captain had twenty years of experience under his belt, and a water stance so immaculate that Link could not for the life of him detect where his next attack was coming from, until it was too late. Link was quicker, Link was stronger, but when it was his turn to spar with the captain, he walked into the ring with dread.

"Don't worry, Lucien. I'm sure he doesn't have enough faith left in you to be disappointed anymore." Link said with a grin, resuming his walk to the Princess' room.

"Smirk all you want, jackass! I still just killed you!" Lucien called after him.

* * *

><p>Zelda Harkinian, the first of her name, Crown Princess of Hyrule, was freaking out, scrambling around her room in her underclothes.<p>

"Where are they where are they where are they where are they!" She muttered frantically to herself, tossing half-forgotten trinkets all around her lavish bedchambers as she delved deeper into the bowels of her wardrobe. "I know it's here, Impa! I specifically remember leaving them in this drawer!" She called back to her handmaid.

"I don't understand the problem. You cannot find a pair of earrings. You have more earrings. I can see thir-excuse me- fourteen other pairs right now, lying around your room."

Zelda turned her head a moment and squinted at her older friend. "You have terrifyingly sharp eyes." She stated, moving back to her work. "And it doesn't matter. Michael gave these particular earrings to me, if I don't wear them, he'll think I don't like his gift."

Impa rolled her eyes. Sometimes she wondered if her charge had her priorities straight. The amount of time she spent thinking of etiquette could be better spent thinking of, well, nearly anything. Then again, Impa mused, she had seen a number of princes offended at the sight of the improper use of a spoon. Perhaps Zelda should worry over such things.

"The earrings you are looking for are not in your wardrobe. They are on your bedside table, where you laid them out last night so you would not forget to wear them." Impa said with a small smile.

Zelda turned, frowned slightly at Impa, and said "I knew I had them set out somewhere. You should have said something earlier." She walked over to her earrings, pinning them into her ears. "How do I look?"

Impa smiled. Zelda was a vision. Big, violet eyes. Cascading lochs of golden hair. A fair bust, a thin waist, shapely legs. Simply gorgeous. "You look as you always do. Beautiful. Now, Let us get you into your dress."

Ten minutes later, the dress was on. Five minutes after that, there was a quiet rapping on the door. "The escort is assembled, my lady. We may depart now."

Zelda stood up excitedly. "Fantastic! Let's make haste then. Oh! I need different shoes. Aaaaag! Hold on!" Zelda ran into her closet, hurriedly picking through her shoes. "Who will be escorting me today?" She called from inside her closet. "I hope they know what they are getting into. Michael loves to show off!"

Impa smiled slightly. She liked the retinue she had assembled today. "I picked four I thought would be good protection and interesting company. We have Captain Jacob, Carl Four Fingers, Jace and Link."

"Oh my. Link had better be ready for Michael. He loves to compete against the pretty ones!"

* * *

><p>The ride to the lake was uneventful. Zelda was closed off with her hand maid in her carriage, while Link and the others rode on horses. Link was happy despite this, however, for as soon as they got to the lake, Zelda would be available to see, to listen to, and perhaps even to talk to. Ever since regaining his lost adolescence, Link could not get Zelda out of his mind. He worried that her presence might distract him from his duty. He wondered if Zelda would go for a swim…<p>

He blushed. The lake was not far. He could see the trees start to thin. After a few minutes of easy riding, the party had reached the sandy beaches of Lake Hylia. It was a beautiful day. A few puffy white clouds lazily drifted through the blue above them as the afternoon sun reflected a red gold light off the ripples of the water. Strangely, the beach was already occupied. A young man, tall and handsome, was tending to an even better looking horse. The man had fairly short black hair, with a part to the left. His eyes were a dark grey, the color of steel. He saw them and smiled, waving his arm in greeting. Link looked him over. No weapons, no armor, no indication that this man was a threat. The carriage stopped, and Zelda popped out almost immediately.

"Michael!" She cried as she ran into his arms. Link looked on, he felt like he had just been stabbed. "Where's your guards, Michael? Don't tell me you rode all by yourself from Burna alone!"

Link was horrified. He had not known that Zelda had been seeing anyone. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"I'm in love not stupid, Zelda." Michael spoke with a slight accent, a smile slowly spreading across his face. "I sent them off once I arrived. I thought it would look more gallant if I were alone when you arrived." He teased. The word 'love' drove another knife in Link's gut.

"Well, you are quite foolish, but I suppose you did cut a striking figure. It's a shame I didn't stay at the top of the hill, to cherish the image you had crafted. Now I have to deal with your stupidity." Zelda frowned, then kissed him. The moment lasted for only a few seconds, but a few seconds was all Link needed to taste bile. He looked away, ostensibly to give the two privacy.

"Zelda, what is the meaning of this? Your handmaid did not speak of anyone meeting us at the lake." Captain Jacob called to the couple, who were still embracing. Impa turned to face the captain.

"Zelda did not wish for her father to know quite yet that Michael was visiting from Burna. She wanted to spend some time with him alone, without a feast or tournament throne in his honor." Evidently, Link thought, the king had no problem with Michael.

"I see. I will take this up with the king later. I do not care to be misled. Without proper information, I cannot see to Her Grace's security as effectively." Captain Jacob turned after speaking this and walked off to a good vantage point over the area.

Impa frowned after the captain, her eyes going slightly distant. She then refocused and looked over at Link, giving him a tight smile. "I think it may be best if you were to reassert the presence of others to the two down there. There will be far too much touching if no one breaks it up soon." And with that she walked off.

Link sighed. He had no desire to get any closer to what was happening down there. His heart still ached. Link did not, however, want to sit back and watch this man do any more to the woman he loved. He adjusted his belt a little and headed down onto the beach. The two were talking quietly to one another, maybe half a foot between their faces. Michael's hands were on Zelda's hips, and they seemed to be moving-

"Hello!" Link cried, coming to a stop within spitting distance of Michael. "Pleasant day, isn't it? The water looks lovely."

The couple abruptly stopped what they were doing, Zelda blushed furiously and Michael grinned widely as they took a step away from each other. Zelda laughed a little. "Michael may I present to you one of Hyrule's royal guardsmen, Sir Link! Sir Link, this is Michael. The heir apparent to the Kingdom of Burna."

They shook hands. Michael tried to crush Link's hand with his grip. Link's hand did not crush. "A pleasure, Sir Link! Such a young man to be selected for service in Hyrule's royal guard! You must be something of a prodigy."

"Thank you for saying so, your grace, but I am no such thing. I simply have a good work ethic." Link smiled, keeping his emotions in check. The bastard had the gall to smile at him!

"Don't be so modest, Link! I've seen you in the tourneys. You place in lancing and archery every time, and you have never lost a duel to anyone but Captain Jacob! You are one of the best fighters of our age, and you are our age! You may not say you are a prodigy, but I would." Link's eyebrows raised at Zelda's words. He did not know she had paid attention during the tourneys.

"Well there you go Link! By royal decree, a prodigy! I must confess, all of this talk of your physical prowess has raised my competitive spirit. I may not be able to match your fighting skill, but I am renowned in my home country as a great swimmer. What say you? How about a race to that island and back?" He pointed to the island with a massive tree growing from it. "The winner gets a kiss from a princess!" Zelda shoved him at that. "Come on Zelda! We need a prize. I cannot think of something better than a kiss from you." Michael laughed.

"Fine." Zelda said, crossing her arms and looking at Link. "I hope you win, Link." Then she turned back to Michael. "I bet he's a better kisser than you." Michael frowned. Link kept his face carefully clear. On the inside, a storm was brewing. Despair, embarrassment, anger, anticipation, and a little hope thrashed in his stomach. Link wasn't going to let this prince take his kiss away.

Michael shrugged and then started taking off his shirt. He revealed his torso with a grin, evidently very pleased with himself. Zelda made ooh's and aw's , pretending to be entranced. Michael did have a swimmer's body, lean and muscular, with a sprinkling of dark chest hair over his olive skin. Link shook off his boots, uncinched his belt, yanked off his tabard, tossed off his mail and lifted off his undershirt. Zelda actually gasped this time.

"Oh goddesses Link, where did you get all of those scars?" She stepped forward, cautiously touching the largest, a nasty slash of scar tissue that went from his shoulder to his sternum. He shivered as her fingers made contact, remembering the feel of the huge axe ripping across the musculature of his chest. That had been an awful fight, three enchanted suits of armor, their sole desire to end his life.

"A difficult childhood, My lady. Do not worry. I am fine now. Are you ready to race, Your Grace?"

* * *

><p>Zelda held her breath as the two men entered the water. "Alright boys! On the count of three, the race begins! Are you ready? 3! 2! 1! GO!"<p>

The two blasted off through the water, furiously trying to get the best of the other. Zelda rolled her eyes. Neither man could possibly sustain that speed for the duration of the race. They were just showing off. They had just signed up for nearly a 1000 meter race. They wouldn't be back for a while. Zelda sat back down on the sand, adjusting her skirt. She thought back to Link. His scars had frightened her. They had crisscrossed his entire body, going from his neck down to his ankles. She had never seen so many on one person before. She shuddered to think what his childhood was like. She would make a point of getting the tale out of him later.

It had been nearly eight minutes before the two had hit the island. Zelda saw that Michael was leading, his dark hair poking out from the water every time he went for a breath. Link was maybe ten seconds behind, doggedly pursuing her love. Zelda sighed. She had wondered what it would be like to kiss Link. His face was lovely, and she wondered what it would be like to have his incredibly hard body and battle scars pressed against her. She knew she shouldn't have such desires, but she also knew that Michael was no better. If some reports could be believed, he had even acted on some of those desires, back in Burna. Zelda didn't care for that at all. She hoped Link would pick up the pace!

The two had just a hundred more meters to go. Things had gotten interesting. Michael was losing steam, apparently he had burned up all his reserves a little too soon. Link was still coming on, fast as ever. It did not surprise Zelda. Link had never spoken to her, but she had heard from some of her more chatty guards that he was relentless. Sh-

"Princess! Get down on the ground!" She heard Captain Jacob scream. She turned around, startled, looking toward the captain.

"Wh-" A crossbow bolt shot past her, inches from her head.

* * *

><p><strong>Reviews are much appreciated!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone! I'm back with another update, because this shit writes itself! Speaking of shit, I'm moving this bad boy's rating up to M. He's just a little to hardcore for some of the kids out there. Thank you guys for the reviews, alerts, and favorites! They made me feel very good. Maybe too good. It got me in the mood to write again very quickly. I would love to get even more this time around, because I discovered how to put dividers into my stories on ff. I apologize for the lack of them before. I really should have looked over that pup before I sent him off to publishment town. Hopefully I corrected the first chapter and gave it some lovely dividers.

* * *

><p>Link jumped out of the water ecstatic. He had won! That little princeling didn't know how to pace himself. Zelda owed him a kiss. He looked around him as he tried to catch his breath. Gods, but was he tired!<p>

Link froze.

Zelda was on the ground her head in her hands. Captain Jacob and Impa were desperately trying to fend of two darkly clad assailants. And they were losing. Where were the other guards? One of the belligerents disengaged from the melee, spinning around Impa and sprinting towards Link. Link looked despairingly over at his sword, shield and armor. He was so tired. Link slowly lowered his head, his body bending into an acquiescing bow. He accepted what was to come. The man was obviously well trained, armed and skilled in the arts of war. His hands hit the ground as he bent his neck further.

The mysterious fighter was still sprinting as he readied his sword. Link saw a flash of movement in the shadow as the killer's sword arched down to take his life. It hit sand. Link sprang out of his roll, throwing sand into the slit made for the man's eyes. It hit home. The assassin disengaged, jumping away as he shook his head to clear his vision. Link was silent as he ran towards the man, jumping the last few feet to crash into the blinded man, sending his foreign sword skittering across the sand.

The stranger tried to buck Link off of him. Link punched him once in the jaw, then elbowed him in the nose. The stranger tried to protect his face after that, blood pouring through his fingers as Link's blows rained down on him. He was skilled, but the sand in his eyes had left him blind. Link sunk a solid blow to the man's temple, knocking him unconscious. Target down.

Link turned in time to see the other killer throw down a smoke bomb. He was gone when the smoke cleared. Link cursed.

His entire body ached as he rolled off the unconscious man. He unclenched his bleeding knuckles. He sluggishly moved toward Zelda. Captain Jacob had taken an awkward seat on a rock, a bolt jutting from his sword arm. It had hit bone. Link fell on his way to Zelda. He crawled the last few feet.

"Princess. Princess, are you alright?" Link asked breathlessly.

Zelda stayed in her fallen position, just looking at Link for a moment. Her head started slowly shaking side to side.

"Zelda? Zelda! What happened to her!" An exhausted Michael bellowed as he came lumbering across the sand. "Are you all right, my love?" He pushed himself past Link and embraced her. Zelda started to quietly cry.

Link shakily surveyed the area. Jace and Four Fingers were dead. Jace had been taken by a bolt in the eye, his body lying where it had stood vigilant not a moment ago. Four Fingers seemed to have died in combat, his stomach opened and his throat cut violently open. His blood had sunk into the sand. It looked as though the two assassins had come from the woods, each firing one bolt before coming to engage the guards. Link didn't understand.

"Why were we attacked?" He yelled to no one in particular.

"It is simple. They wished to kill Zelda and Michael." Impa said calmly.

Link looked back over at Impa. She was attempting to dress the captain's arm. "How do you know they wanted them?" He asked dumbly.

"Those were skilled assassins. Zelda and Michael are the only people worth paying a lot of money to have killed. I know they wanted both of them because that unconscious one decided to leave his comrade to come to attack you and Michael." Impa shook her head. "Whoever hired these men paid a great deal indeed. These were no ordinary assassins. These were Ghuls."

"What are Ghuls?"

"They are an ancient order of assassins. They are considered to be the most effective group of killers on the market. They are extremely well trained. They will not stop until they have achieved their mission objective. And they all hunt in a single pack. When you hire a Ghul, you hire all Ghuls. That is to say, if one Ghul is trying to kill you, you can rest assured that the entire order is trying to kill you."

Link looked over at the unconscious man he had worked so hard to subdue. "How many Ghul's are there?"

Impa yanked the bolt out of the captain's arm, Jacob screaming in response. She immediately started sewing the wound, then bound it in white cloth. "The Ghul's are steeped in tradition. They always have ten active assassins. No more, no less. I do not know how they are replaced. I just know they have never failed a mission."

Link kept his eyes on the Ghul that lied in front of him. "I hope the Ghuls will not be too disappointed when their perfect record is ruined, then. They will not take Zelda's life. I will not allow it. Let's get Zelda back to the castle. Do you have any rope?"

Impa tossed Link a roll of rope. Link took it over to the assassin, binding him tightly. Link slung him over the back of his horse. The party hastily packed up, putting the bodies in the carriage and setting them all aflame. They did not want to be the target of another assassin attack.

Link would not allow his princess to die. He could not. He would get answers. This Ghul would tell him what he needed to know.

* * *

><p>Grim woke to the smell of urine and blood. His own, if he wasn't mistaken. He slowly opened his bruised eyes. He saw stone. Stone above him. Stone under him. Stone to his sides. There was a break from the stone in front of him, a heavy oaken door, with torches to its left and right. There was a small slit for eyes to peer through. A dungeon, then. Grim had been taken to a dungeon. His arms were shackled above him, hanging him to the ceiling. His feet were unbound. He moved his head. It set his vision swimming. Mild concussion. He twitched his face. His jaw ached. His nose was quite obviously broken. He methodically checked the rest of his body. Everything else seemed to be in working order. He wrapped his hands around the chains that bound him, using his arms to support his weight. He started pumping his body forward and back, testing the strength of his bonds. He was impressed. Very sound equipment in this dungeon. The chain was even recently oiled. He blew a strand of dark hair out of his eyes.<p>

He hung there for maybe an hour before the oaken door started making noises. It sounded like the unbolting of bolts. That was unfortunate. Grim hated bolts. The oak door opened then, bringing in a fat, flamboyantly dressed man, bedecked in gems and gold and silk, his ensemble completed by a hat covered in feathers. Next to him, a strapping young soldier came in, blond hair- Grim tensed. He recognized him. He was the boy who bested Grim on the beach.

Grim analyzed his memory. The boy had done a good job looking as though he had given up. He had been legitimately tired. Grim could see that. He had bowed his head. That was fine. Where did he- Ah! He had grabbed a handful of sand while he had been prostrating himself. Foolish. Grim should have been more cautious in his approach. Grim filed that away. He would not make the same mistake twice.

The crafty blond one brought in two chairs. He looked irritated with the wealthy man. Grim saw that. He kept his eyes open to all information. Some of it was always useful.

The two sat. The ostentatious one cleared his throat. "Introducing Link, of His Majesty's Royal Guard. Introducing Roderick, Master of Inquisition and Lord of Wys and Kakariko Town, 22nd in line for the throne." A laugh bubbled from Grim's throat. Lord Roderick glared at him indignantly. "Do you find something about me amusing, prisoner?"

Grim kept the smile on his face. "You are Master Inquisitor?" Grim laid his accent on thick. "You are worm calling yourself snake." Then Grim dropped his smile and spat on the ground.

Roderick's eyes looked like they were about to bulge out of their sockets. "You insolent little cretin! I'll-"

"Stop." The blond fighter interjected. "What is your name, prisoner?"

"I am called Superior Grim. Well met, Guard Link."

"Superior? What does that mean?"

"Is complex. To understand title. Explanation required."

"I've got time, Grim."

Grim took a small breath. All the boy wanted was a history lesson. This would not undermine the mission. "You know of Ghul, yes? Your Sheikah would. I am Ghul. We have incredibly difficult training regime. Each member is brought to order at birth. In first thirteen years of child's live, they are taught about world. All major languages. How to read. Geographies and history of each country. Once they reach age thirteen, they begin training. Physical stress put on children's bodies at this time is immense. They are trained to point of exhaustion every day for five years. Many die. Those that survive are separated into groups of ten, sent into foreign city, and tasked to kill other nine. Initiates who make it this far then have opportunity to try and duel one of minor Superior. Winner of duel is minor Superior. Loser is dead. Superiors are only Ghuls that go on assassination missions."

"What are minor Superior?"

"Superior has two classes, each with five members. Major and minor. Minor are new Superior. They can be challenged by initiates. Major Superior are Superior who have lasted long enough as Superior for a spot to open on the Major Superior list. A Major Superior serves until they are 35, then they retire as one of the Honored."

"Are you a major or minor Superior?"

"I am eldest minor Superior. I have defended title nine times."

Guard Link was digesting this information. The fool next to him was still red from Grim's insult. "They obviously didn't teach you language very well, you foreign dog! That accent makes you sound a drooling imbecile, did you know that? Perhaps its not the accent. Tell me, did your mother and father perhaps share, oh I don't know, parents? I don't know how your Ghul's have any reputation at all, with a man such as yourself representing them!" The man's voice had gotten squeaky by the last sentence.

Grim looked at the lord a moment, then smiled. Roderick attempted to lunge at him. He was restrained by Link. "Who directs the Ghul?" Link asked, his hand still firmly resting on Roderick's shoulder.

"Superior are highest ranking members. We direct ourselves." That was not quite true. The Superior elected a leader every two years, a man who would decide which jobs the Ghul would take. He wasn't going to tell Link everything.

"How are Superior replaced if they die outside a duel with an initiate?"

"Remaining Superior evaluate and elevate one of initiates without duel."

"Who do you think they will replace you with?" The lordling asked nastily. Grim was delighted by his lack of control. He could see why Guard Link disliked him.

"Please, Lord Roderick. How often do your Superior all get together?"

Grim hesitated for a moment. He did not like how specific that question was. But, he sooner would not be tortured for this information. "They come together at the beginning of the year, for a month."

"Thank you. Now. Who hired you to kill Zelda?"

Ah. Guard Link had finally gotten to the heart of the matter. That was unfortunate. Grim did not wish to be tortured. "I cannot say." Grim replied.

"Very well. What is your mission objective, exactly?"

"I cannot say."

"I see. Where are the others Superiors located?"

"I cannot say."

"Uh huh. It looks as though we have reached the end of your cooperation. Very well. You will not be given food until you start answering any and all questions. I will be back in three days. Lord Roderick, after you."

As the lord got up, Grim started smiling again. No torture? How very foolish. "Will worm eat my food instead of me? Worm seems to have stolen many meals in his time!"

The Lord charged. He could move surprisingly fast for such a fat man, Grim reflected. The Lord drew back his arm as he approached. Grim turned his head into the blow. The lord brought a ringed back hand ripping across Grim's face. He could tell he had been badly cut almost immediately. As the big lordling came whirling around with the momentum of his force, Grim gnashed his teeth out to fast to see, snagging one of the smaller feathers on the lords hat, quickly hiding it in his mouth. He heard Guard Link screaming at the fat lordling. Grim smiled slightly. The pain was coming from the blow now. It seemed the lord had hit his nose in his attack. How unfortunate.

Grim blacked out.

* * *

><p>Link left Lord Roderick in disgust. He could not deal with that overgrown arrogant lordling any longer. Link stormed away from the Ghul's cell. Link anger slowly dissolved as he came back to what he learned from Grim. The information he gathered was important, but the way the assassin acted was also very telling of his skill as an operative. The assassin's grey eyes and smooth face had been a mask. Link could not tell if he had just been told a bunch of tall tales about the man's order. He hoped that the information could be relied on. Perhaps he should consult Impa to cross check what he was just told.<p>

Link headed to a small stairway, going up two levels to the first basement level. He took a tight stone hallway lit by torch light and took a left. He opened the doors at the end of the hallway. Inside the small but well-furnished room sat Princess Zelda, King Harkinian, Michael, Impa and every royal guardsman.

Zelda was talking again, insisting to her father that she was alright. Michael was looking slightly sick as he heard her recount what happened to her on the beach. Lucien was looking at his father's pale face and wound, his face for once completely serious. They all looked at him as he entered.

"What did you learn from the prisoner, Link?" The King asked.

"A few things. He is one of the ten hunting your daughter. He would not say anything about who hired him, what his true mission objective really is, or where the other operatives are. I have given him an ultimatum. He will only get food if he cooperates fully with our investigation."

"He may not crack for some time under that method. I vote we should move to the more… excruciating tactics. We cannot afford to take time in gathering this information. Your Princess' life is at stake." Michael quietly stated.

There was a murmur of agreement. Zelda shook her head firmly. "I will not permit the use of torture as a means to inquisition. I would rather take the risk of the extra days than stoop to that measure."

The room went silent. Link nodded his head. "As I suspected, Your Grace. We will have answers from him within the next two weeks, I'm sure. Meanwhile, we need to come up with a strategy. I understand that their organization is run by the actual assassins themselves, the Superiors."

"That is correct." Impa said.

"I also understand from our prisoner that Superiors are the ones who choose who to elevate when the number of Superiors go under ten."

"That is also correct. So?" Impa asked.

"So they are an organization that will not stop until they have succeeded in their mission. Very well. For as long as they continue to exist, The Ghul will try to kill Zelda and Michael. We must, therefore, make the Ghul stop existing. If you kill just one of their agents, however, they will eventually be replaced. I say eventually because all remaining Superiors must evaluate every candidate possible to elevate him to a Superior. A feat that is impossible during a mission, when all of them are on the field. What I am suggesting, then, is that we track down and kill every single Superior of this order. We would have to do it quickly, so as to not allow them a chance to reconvene at the start of the year. The start of the year is eight months from now. What do you all think?"

Everyone looked at Link silently for an agonizingly long moment. Link realized just how many people were staring at him right then. He desperately wanted to get out of the spotlight.

Then Lucien spoke up. "That plan's bat shit Link. I can't for the life of me think of any other way of doing it, though. What do you need us to do?"

Link let out a small breath. "Okay."

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><p>Grim woke up. How unfortunate. He had dreamt he had been flying. His nose ached. He felt around his mouth for the feather, hoping to the divines above that he had not swallowed it. Ah! Still there. Wonderful. Grim wrapped his hands around the chains above him, pulling on them to support his weight. He reached up with his foot to his mouth. His muscles ached, and his foot cramped a few times on the journey up to his mouth. But it still got there. He delicately put the feather between his big toe and his…second biggest toe. Strange. He had never considered what the other toes were called. He would make sure to look that up once his mission was finished. Grim pulled his lower body above his upper body, catching his feet on the shackles that bound his hands.<p>

After a few agonizing minutes of foot twitching, Grim unlatched his hands. He fell to the ground with a grunt. He got up slowly, working his arms. He couldn't feel them at all, and his wrists were badly cut up. It took a few minutes before they had regained feeling and stopped tingling. Grim saw that Link had not collected the chairs when he had left the cell. Grim was ecstatic. He wondered if his plan had worked. It didn't matter now. It seemed things had gone his way this time. He put an ear to the ground next to the door for a few minutes, listening for footsteps. There were none. Lovely. Grim grabbed a chair and propped two legs under the door, using the leverage to lift the door out of its hinges. The door popped neatly out, almost falling to the ground before Grim caught it and slowly lowered it to the ground. Grim looked from one end of the empty hallway to the other. And then he was off.

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><p>Reviews are very much appreciated! I have a sneaking suspicion that they really help sell the story to other ff users.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in five months. Ha. I promise you it won't happen again. Probably. Anyway, I felt like I should respond to some reviews! You know, to make up for the absence.**

**Phunky: Me too!**

**_: I thought so**

**alice29x: Stop, your embarrassing me!**

**Berlin's Brown Eyes: What can I say, I'm a pretty hip guy**

**Metal Chocobo: Yeah, Michael's an ass.**

**SailorZeldaTheLightAlchemist: I think it's just referred to as "the long toe"**

**Phunky: If by soon you mean five months, soon it is!**

**Aya: Yeah, I mean, yeah. Maybe one day!**

**SuperflousMan: I would like everyone to know my extended leave of absence is over**

**Mizunou: Thanks! I tried hard to make the summary decent**

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><p>"The Ghul are highly trained in espionage and disguise. They know how to blend into our society, how to stay hidden. Finding them will be nearly impossible." Impa stated firmly. "Attempting to track them would take too long."<p>

Link winced. He was quiet for a moment, his left hand clenching and unclenching. Captain Jacob had seen it before. Link was thinking.

"We will lure them into a trap. Something simple. Traps are best when they are simple." Captain Jacob scratched his wrist. Link was prone to such statements. What would he know of traps? He was just a boy. "We must play to their expectations. What would a King do to protect his daughter and her courtier from assassins?" Link looked straight at King Harkinian.

"You forget yourself." Captain Jacob said softly.

Link's eyes snapped to Jacob. "Sir." He bowed his head. "My liege. A thousand apologies."

King Harkinian nodded. "We can work on you manners later, boy. What would I do if assassins came to threaten my daughter and her courtier? I would keep them locked in my highest tower, guarded by my best men. Day and night. Until they were no longer threatened."

Link nodded. "A safe place. One entrance. Easy to protect. An excellent idea. Now, let's do the exact opposite. We will smuggle the Prince and Princess out of the castle. They will have spies here. We will set them up in a small cabin with a royal guard."

"A royal guard would be a dead give away. We only have five left. They know who you all are. They know who I am." Impa interjected. Captain Jacob itched his palm. It was unlike Impa to allow a subordinate to lead a discussion, especially when that discussion was about the Princess' safety. She had every right to push Link aside and take command. Jacob did not understand. Impa was usually quite... domineering. Jacob rubbed some dirt off his uniform as he prepared to speak.

"I have a suggestion. I will go. They saw me take a bolt. I am believed to be incapacitated." Captain Jacob stated.

"With all due respect sir, you are incapacitated. That bolt took you in your sword arm." Small Hans said. A big man by any measure, that one. Could really hammer you with that hammer of his. Captain Jacob smiled. Small Hans had never really bothered with analyzing an opponent.

"Captain Jacob doesn't have a sword arm Hans." Derrick spoke up for the first time. Derrick was a man of few words and unremarkable looks, which made many people overlook him. Captain Jacob had made that mistake once, long ago. He was the second most senior royal guard after Jacob himself, and he was Jacob's best man. They had been through a lot together, and Captain Jacob had seen first hand what Derrick was capable of. A master of the Void stance, he had never showcased his talents in the sparring ring. There was no sparring in Void stance.

"That is correct. I am ambidextrous. In my younger days I used to forgo a shield completely and fight with two swords. My left is a little rusty, but I have taken pains not to lose the talent. I believe I can still be of service." Captain Jacob had been a cocky bastard before he was a father. He had decided to set a safer example. That didn't mean he had stopped training with his left though. A man had to be prepared.

"If you were ambidextrous, why did you fight the Ghul on the beach with your wounded arm?" Impa demanded, turning to Captain Jacob.

"Shield was strapped to the good one. I was engaged before I could switch hands." Captain Jacob answered evenly. He scratched some dirt out of a fingernail.

"Fantastic." Link began. "Now we can discuss the other piece of the plan."

"Wait just a minute. You are sending me to a cabin? In the woods?" Michael spoke up for the first time. Evidently the thought of cabin life had distracted him from his distressed bride-to-be. "That is no fit place for the future King of Burna! I will stay in the castle. The tower the king has suggested sounds perfect. You said it yourself Link. It's an excellent place to hold against assassins." Michael was a handsome man. Not much else.

"Your grace." Link nodded stiffly to him. "The Ghul are relentless and crafty. Setting you up in the tower would not stop them. It would only postpone them. No tower is impregnable. They will find a way in. Eventually. This is what I suggest. We smuggle Your Grace and My Lady in to the cabin. We send decoys up into the tower. We post the guards in the tower. And we wait."

"Link, that's ridiculous! We wait? For what? For all nine of the highly trained assassins to throw themselves at the tower?" Lucien cut in. Jacob's nose twitched. "That's a lot of wishful thinking to think that all of them would go. It's even more wishful thinking to think that we could take them once they got there! We've already lost two men to these assassins. What makes you think we won't get killed?"

"They have been cautious before, he is right. They only sent two to attack us at the lake." Impa added.

"The Ghul will not be cautious in this instance. They will know the two will be heavily guarded. There is no other option left for them but an attack on the tower. We can make sure of this." Derrick said. Jacob nodded. Derrick always talked good sense.

"If we can get them into the tower room, we can spring a trap. I think we could find several crossbowman who are trustworthy." Jacob added.

Link nodded. "We can do this Lucien. We get four of us up in the room with the decoys, set up a firing squad in the antechamber. We will cut them down." This seemed to quiet Lucien.

Impa folded her arms. "Very well. I will make the necessary arrangements. Smuggling the three of you out will be easy enough. There are several locations I know that will do nicely. As for the decoys, one for Zelda is already prepared. Finding a trustworthy one for Michael in a short amount of time will be difficult but doable. The crossbowmen just need an established history. We will have to keep them in the tower room until the Ghul attack. Same goes for food. Also, It should be obvious that no one can tell anyone about this meeting once we leave here. Are there any questions?"

"Yes. One. Who will protect the king while we are occupied?" Derrick asked.

King Harkinian chuckled. "I have guards that aren't royal, sir. Do not worry about me. Zelda and Michael are the one's the assassins are after."

Derrick bowed. "Of course."

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><p>Major Superior Garzha scrubbed the floors. It was menial work, but work she enjoyed. Making a place beautiful was a lovely objective. So much better than what it usually was. She sighed. Three more years before Honored status. If she made it, perhaps she would become a maid. That thought made her smile. If she made it to retirement, a fortune awaited her. A twentieth of every mission she had been on. She could buy a small palace and hire an army of maids. Or she could just buy the palace. Then she could clean all day-<p>

"Maid!" The Head Servant called.

"Yes, master?" Garzha asked quickly.

"The Sky Tower will no longer require cleaning. Pass the message along to the others, would you? I am very busy. Much has to be done." The Head Servant walked off at a quick pace, his polished shoes clacking off into the distance.

Garzha took a moment to digest this information. Sky Tower didn't require cleaning? That could only mean one thing. It seemed the King had decided on a course of action. Not a bad one, Gharza had to admit. A tower on lockdown only had one means of entry. She cursed. They would lose Ghul. But the mission had to be completed.

She took a breath. There were five others who operated inside the castle. She would need to call a meeting immediately. She was the most senior here. At least they had gotten their swords through a day ago. Right before they had cracked down on security.

Garzha began to walk to the Maids' Quarters. They would attack tomorrow night. The Leader wanted it done quickly.

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><p>Zelda could not feel her legs. After the meeting, Impa had sent for a filled laundry basket. She had then commanded Zelda, Michael and Captain Jacob to get inside of it. Zelda didn't know how long she had been inside the cramped, hot box with the two men, but she guessed it had been more than an hour.<p>

A knock came from the side of the basket. Zelda hesitated, then knocked back. A short pause followed. Then the whole basket flipped. Zelda came out head first, a sheet wrapped around her legs, landing on top of Michael.

"Ow! Let go Zelda!" Michael pushed himself hurriedly out of the cloth, one of his hands using Zelda's face for support.

"Michael! Get your hand off me!" Zelda scrambled out of the laundry. They were in a carriage, if she wasn't mistaken. An older woman sat on a stool with a bucket and clippers. A brawny man stood by the tipped laundry basket. He hopped out of the carriage and put the back up. A moment later, the carriage was moving.

"Hello dearies." The crone began. "My name is Anne. I am in charge of disguising you three. Princess, if you would come here?" She smiled kindly.

"Of course." Zelda stepped over to Anne.

"I have been instructed to make you all look related. We can do that easily enough. The boys both have dark hair. I'll be dyeing yours a similar color." Anne began mixing water with powder. "The eye color will be trickier, the violet is too noticeable. I have some eye drops that can make them look a dark brown, but I'll have to apply it ever few hours for a day or else the color won't stick. Don't worry, it's not permanent. Aside from that, you all will be getting haircuts and a new set of clothes. That should do the trick."

"Why do I need a haircut?" Michael asked crossly.

"Are you serious Michael? Really?" Zelda spun to face him. "Assassins. That's why. People are trying to kill us. People that are really good at tracking down their targets. People that are so good at tracking down targets, they have never not tracked down a target in the entirety of their centuries long existence! So why don't we stop being an idiot and let the nice lady do what she was brought here to do and let her give us haircuts, kay?"

Michael stepped toward Zelda. He was furious. "In my country, women do not speak to men with such disrespect! I do not know where you learned such terrible manners, but you can rest assured that once this is all over and we are married, your little girlish tantrums will not be tolerated!"

Zelda looked at Michael disbelievingly. "Michael. Assassins. Ghul assassins. Have you not been paying attention? Can you honestly be taking our victory for granted when you choose your hair over staying hidden?"

"I am not choosing my hair! I will let the woman cut it. I simply do not care for your insults or your lack of respect! I am the future King of Burna! I will not be berated by a princess of such a miniscule kingdom!"

"Mini-"

"Enough. Both of you. I don't care for this bickering. I will not tolerate it any longer." Captain Jacob spoke up. He had been the first out of the laundry. He must have landed on his feet.

Michael's expression froze. He turned slowly towards the captain. "Bickering? You think the future King of Burna bickers?" Michael's tone was dangerous. He could not stand insubordination.

"Yes. I just witnessed it firsthand. It's annoying." Captain Jacob looked Michael square in the eyes.

" I'm annoying too? My my, such charming audacity! What an adorable trait for a commoner. Zelda, you may lack manners, but you surely don't lack compassion." Michael moved right up to the captain. He looked down at Jacob. "Because in my country, such insolence is grounds for execution." Michael's face bent toward the captain. "Do not think that I will forget this."

Captain Jacob burst out laughing. Michael stepped back. "You realize I am your only guard, right? If they find the cabin, I am the only man standing in between you and the Ghul. Are you such a child that you would threaten me? Princess, I don't mean to question your judgement, but this man might be an idiot. I hope you understand that." Captain Jacob chuckled to himself as he settled down against one side of the carriage. Michael face was half formed fury, slowly becoming more half formed.

Zelda was beginning to feel very unsure of herself.

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><p>Jeff needed to take a piss. His guard shift had just ended and he could not for the life of him find a servant's toilet. It was the price he paid for taking the promotion from gate duty. Some of the other guys had told ghost stories about guards who had gotten lost in the maze like corridors, doomed even after death to wander the halls. Jeff laughed to himself. He might be a country boy, but he knew such stories were tall tales. Hyrule Castle was a blessed place. No ghosts roamed these halls.<p>

"Boy!" Jeff called. A servant was polishing a vase in one of the empty halls.

"Yes master?" The man called back. He had surprisingly tanned skin for a castle servant. Perhaps he had just been promoted too.

"Show me where the nearest restrooms are. Quickly."

"Of course." The servant hopped up. "Are you new to the castle, master?"

Jeff smiled ruefully. "That easy to tell? Yeah. I was just promoted from the gate. Are you new too? You look too tan for indoor work."

The servant smiled back. "Sharp eyes on you. I worked the gardens for several years. My cousin got me a job inside two months ago. Hope I never go back. The gardens were torture." They rounded a corner. "For future reference, the servant restrooms are placed in a grid next to every third juncture. They usually have a blue circle above the doorway. Here we are."

Jeff nodded in thanks. "You certainly sound like a castle servant. Know this place like the back of your hand! Thanks friend. I owe you one. My name is Jeff by the way."

"Grim." Jeff blacked out.

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><p><strong>Reviews jes?<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi guys! I've written another chapter. It's a longer one, just over 4000 words, and my fingers are starting to cramp. Anyway, here are some review responses.**

**bluetoonlink: I'm glad you like him. He'll be making many more appearances, don't you worry.**

**TheEpicNoob: I disagree. Torture is very unpleasant. The idea of losing fingers is very compelling, even to a disciplined operative. Especially since what he did reveal was only the most basic overview of his training (an overview that, as was mentioned, was likely already known by Impa).**

**Masquerade Link: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it.**

**SailorZeldatheLightAlchemist: Yeah. Michael sucks.**

**!**

**Dudes! If you like the story, please leave a review. It makes me smile, and more importantly motivates me to write!**

**!**

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><p>Anne sat in her carriage, wincing. The bumps in the road jarred her old bones. It had been a long journey to the cabin. The princess had been quiet when Ann had dropped her off. Anne worried for her. Zelda was such a smart girl. Why had she gotten involved with that Michael character?<p>

Ann smiled sadly. She remembered what it was like to be young. Hopefully Zelda would get out before it was too late though. "Dolf!" Ann yelled.

"Whatisit!" The young man yelled back from the driver's seat. Good boy, that one. Anne had raised him well.

"Make for Kakariko! The drop off is at the end of an offshoot of Kakariko road!" She hollered. Anne had told Dolf already, but it was good to remind him. The boy could be absentminded.

The drop offs always made Anne nervous. She knew Impa valued secrecy above all else. No meetings in person, no more information than was necessary. It would be nice if she didn't just stash Anne's pay in some bushes. Still, no one had ever found the drop off before Anne did. Impa knew her business. Ann respected the Sheikah for that.

Anne smiled. The money she was getting for this job would be enough to retire on. Of course, she couldn't retire. Ann owed Impa a life debt, and she would dutifully do what the woman asked of her until Impa absolved her of that debt. Of course, the money was good too. Dolf would make some woman very happy when she found out he was half as rich as a duke. Anne closed her eyes for a moment.

The carriage stopped abruptly. Anne was thrown to the back wall. She cursed. She had fallen asleep. Divines, that had been a thump. What was that boy doing? He knew better than that. She fumbled for a handhold and stood up. That damn boy. She hobbled over to the back door and shoved it open. "DOOOOL-" A hooded figure with a curved blade stood before her.

"Hello ma'am. Interesting path to take so late at night. Would you be so kind as to step out of your carriage and answer a few questions for me?"

Anne swallowed. Where was Dolf?

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><p>Zelda was knee deep in mud. Captain Jacob had sent her out to forage for berries while he and Michael hunted. Zelda didn't mind being excluded. She had chosen to pick berries. Botany was one of the few things her tutors had taught her that was useful outside of court. And besides, if all they had was meat, they'd all go crazy inside of a week. Literally. The human body couldn't live off just meat. Zelda had read that somewhere. Probably. She snorted.<p>

Gods above, but she was itchy. Zelda itched herself. Then looked around quickly. Right. No one was here to see her act piggish. Very liberating, that thought. Scratch herself any time she damn well please. She scratched her ass. Nice.

Of course, she'd trade back the mud for onlookers any day. Zelda was used to life in a castle. It was strange. She had always thought of herself as a tough, grounded woman. Now here she was, knee deep in muck, fingers covered in scrapes, every inch of her body itching from the low thread count of her clothes. Zelda was miserable.

Zelda laughed at herself. At least she wasn't dead. She grabbed a nearby branch and pulled herself out of the muck. She had enough berries for the day. Hopefully the men had gotten back. And hopefully they didn't hate each other as much as they did in the carriage.

Zelda picked up her basket and began to walk back. A stream was nearby. She would wash off her clothes, and herself. She wasn't looking forward to that. She'd have to wait for the clothes to dry, or risk hypothermia. Zelda made a face. Not the appropriate response to hypothermia.

Zelda laughed again. She could laugh at her own stupidity for hours. She was a very self-contained girl. A lot of alone time in the castle. Zelda began to take off her clothes. She whistled. A shame she couldn't sing. Zelda stepped out of the muddy dress at her feet. She shivered, then looked at herself in the stream. Ugh. Bad angle. She crouched down and looked again.

Anne had done a great job. She barely recognized the girl who looked back at her. Dark brown shoulder length hair. Deep brown eyes. She didn't look like royalty. She looked… she looked like Michael's sister. She smiled and splashed the water, ruining the image.

Zelda stuck her foot in the water. She yelped and jumped out. Then she laughed. Then she rolled her eyes. She needed friends. She slowly put it back in. Michael. What an attractive man. What a wealthy, educated, arrogant, selfish, idiotic man. Zelda couldn't marry him. She had been thinking about it for a while. It was foolish of her. They were both heirs to their respective thrones. The marriage would unite the two nations and create a new country powerful enough to dominate the continent.

It had been for this reason that Zelda had tried so hard to love Michael, and had until recently succeeded. She couldn't do it anymore. Michael had proven himself to be an uncaring and selfish man, and Zelda could not allow someone such as he to rule her people.

Zelda stuck her hands in the icy water, quenching her burning scrapes. It reminded her of the scars she had seen on the Link's chest. She blushed. He was quite a specimen. The way he had taken charge after the attack had been impressive. He seemed to know what he was doing. Zelda had promised him a kiss…

"Stop that." Zelda became very aware of how naked she was. She was so cold. Link was probably really warm- "No." She said to herself. She got out of the stream, drying herself on the clean parts of her clothes. Zelda then proceeded to stick them in the stream and scrub them.

Link was attractive. It could not be ignored. But there was no future there. Her people would never accept a commoner to be king. Link would need to be some kind of hero to gain the authority necessary to rule. And an affair was out of the question. A marriage was one of the most powerful weapons in diplomacy, and Zelda could not afford to tarnish her sterling image by fooling around with a guard.

Zelda couldn't believe herself. She was thinking about affairs while her life was at stake. She needed to get her priorities straight. She took her wet clothes and hung them on a bush. She sat down. Who would send an assassin to kill her and Michael? Obviously someone didn't care for the idea of them marrying. Enough to hire the Ghul. Something only heads of state could afford.

Hyrule didn't have any political enemies. Their land was too remote. The only thing that lay beyond the Gorian Mountains to the north and east was the Great Sea. The Enchanted Forest to the south could not be navigated through. Burna was their only neighbor that actually had access to Hyrule, and only after a grueling weeklong ride through the Gerudo Wastes.

Burna was a different matter. Its expansionistic policies of the last few monarchs had soured their relations with almost all of their neighbors, Hyrule being the exception.

The Cyric Confederacy to the south had suffered the most from Burna. They would be dead set against Burna gaining more power. Of course, the Cyric Confederacy was disorganized and penniless, so funding the Ghul would be impossible for them.

Ugral was also an outspoken opponent of Burna. But they were also barbarians, with no centralized power. Their more powerful warlords might be able to hire the Ghul, but it would likely bankrupt them. It didn't make sense. The warlords were too busy killing each other and attempting to conquer Ugral to hire assassins to kill a foreign lord.

That only left Thayne and Raush. Thayne was rich and powerful, but they lay far to the south, past the Confederacy, and rarely got involved in wars. Thayne operated off the tradition of the political teachings of Sean Rator, a Thaynian statesman who believed that an emphasis on trade and defense led to the prosperity of a nation. The Thayne rulers had taken this principle to heart.

Now Raush, Raush was a possibility. It was, along with Burna and Thayne, one of the continent's great nations. It also exercised an expansionist mindset in its foreign affairs, having taken bites out of both the Cyric Confederacy and Ugral. Burna and Raush were neighbors, and their diplomatic relations had deteriorated in recent years. It made great sense that Raush would want to keep the alliance from going through.

Zelda could see why. In many ways, Burna and Hyrule complemented one another. Burna was the most populace nation on the continent, but lacked mineral wealth. Hyrule was sparsely populated, but had the forests and iron deposits to become a great industrial power. Combined, the two nations could conquer the continent given enough time. Raush could see to that never coming to pass.

Zelda wouldn't jump to any conclusions. Raush had been a friend to Hyrule, and many times in the world of politics the most obvious answer was the wrong one. She sighed. She should get back. Her clothes were dry now.

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><p>Garzha pulled the titanic container forward. She had on servant whites, and so did four of her associates. Together, the five of them wheeled it through the west wing, Sky wing. Garzha glanced toward a door. Two guards stood beside it. Garzha separated herself from the container. The others slowed to a stop without her, their container clogging the doorway to the next hall.<p>

"Oi! What shift is this?" Garzha called, stopping a fair distance away from the two men. They immediately readied their spears, pointing them at her.

"Leave this hall at once citizen! We have been ordered to detain any who loiter in this hall. You must leave, or I will be forced to shackle you." The one on the left declared.

"Oh come on. What shift is this? I just want to know when I can get back to my husband." Garzha said earnestly.

"Leave now citizen!"

"Its D shift, major superior." The one on the right said.

"Wha-" The right guard thrust his spear into the left's neck. The left one gargled in surprise, then fell to the ground in a fast growing puddle of red.

"Four royal guards and six crossbowmen lie in wait, major superior. They will be expecting us." The right guard stated.

Garzha nodded as the other four Ghul ran toward them. The wheels on the mighty container had been destroyed. One handed Garzha her curved sword. "We have prepared for such an occasion. Come, we must hurry." The guard Ghul nodded. They opened the until recently guarded door and ran up the spiral staircase it revealed. The hall only had two entries. The first was now totally jammed with a container containing gravel meant for a garden. The unblocked doorway went directly outside, to said remote garden. There was a gap in security in between the D and E shifts in that garden, so they could make their escape once they had achieved the objective.

Major Superior Garzha grinned. She could not wait to see more blood.

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><p>Link folded. The game had not been going well. The decoy Michael had turned out to be excellent at cards, and Link had already lost a week's salary to him after two hours of the damn game. Fake Michael, Henri was his real name, smiled in satisfaction. "Again, my friend?" Henri asked, for the tenth time today. Link gritted his teeth. He had to face he was just bad at cards.<p>

"You need to learn how to give up buddy. Henri can read a man like a book, if Henri could read." Lucien said with a grin. He had stopped playing as soon as Henri won the second time.

"Don't listen to him, my friend! You have simply been dealt bad hands. It is luck, not skill. Come on, one more game. Double or nothing." Henri smiled widely, the very picture of honesty.

Link took a long breath. He needed to let it go. Gods above, but he hated losing. Link hated not doing his job even more, though. "I think you've made enough money today. No, I'm getting out of this seat. Can't fight assassins sitting down." Link got out of the chair.

Small Hans and Lucien were drawing caricatures of an at-attention Derrick on the other side of the antechamber. The crossbowmen had gotten seats facing the door, their crossbows knocked and ready to fire. Link looked back at Derrick. He could not for the life of him figure out that man. He had never so much as seen Derrick draw his blade, and for the most part the man just stayed quiet and still whenever Link had been around him.

The man was too still. Derrick had assumed that position when he woke up. Twelve hours ago. Captain Jacob respected the man deeply, so he must have substantial skill. But Link didn't like going off of reputation alone.

"Derrick." Link called. In the Royal Guard, there was the captain, and then there was everybody else. Link and Derrick were of equal rank.

"Link." Derrick replied. His eyes stayed at the door.

"Why have you never sparred with us?" It was the first question of many Link had for the man.

Derrick was silent for a moment. "It is… hard to say."

"You mean you don't have a reason?" Link was slightly offended. Was Derrick too good to spar with his fellow guardsmen?

"No. I just have never been asked before. I do not spar because my form does not allow it."

"What does that mean? What form does not allow sparring?" The very idea was absurd.

"I practice what Hylian tradition calls Void Stance. It is rare to find a practitioner this far north." Rare was a bit of an understatement. Link had never even heard of it before now.

"Why can't you spar in Void Stance?" Link demanded.

Derrick was silent. "Why can't you spar in Void Stance?" Link repeated himself. Derrick's eyes remained fixed on the door. Derrick unsheathed his sword. He did not carry a shield.

"Ready your blade." Derrick whispered. Link looked at him for a moment, then realized what was happening. Link spun around and yanked out his sword.

"Ready men! They are coming!" Link yelled.

* * *

><p>"I just don't understand it, Dugg." Growley said morosely.<p>

"Aw come on, buddy. It can't be that bad." Dugg said, patting the bigger man on the back.

"It is that bad. She won't talk to me. I tried knocking on her Da's door the other day, and all I got was her Da. He told me she didn't wanna come see me. Can you imagine? I've been seeing this girl for six months, and then she hears one rumor- one that's total horseshit I Might Add- and she won't have anything to do with me. I can't even explain to her that it ain't true. She won't let me!" Growley threw his hands in the air in exasperation. Then he grabbed his tankard and took a big gulp.

Dugg sipped on his own drink. "You act like you've given up. You haven't given up, have you?"

Growley put down his tankard and looked at Dugg, the despair becoming evident in his voice. "What else can I do? She won't let me explain. She won't let me show her how much she means to me." The big bear of a man turned away from Dugg then. He looked like he was on the verge of tears.

Dugg took another swig. "Growley. Hey. Growley. Look at me, big guy." Growley turned back to Dugg. "You love this girl?" Growley nodded. "And you want to spend the rest of your life with her?" Growley nodded again. "Then Growley, buddy, don't let her Da keep you from talking to her. Where does she work?"

Growley hummed sadly. "She's a barmaid at Mad Monty's. But she works on my shift. I can't" Growley paused a moment, holding back tears. "I can't not go to work. I'd get fired, if I didn't get thrown in a dungeon first. I have to be there."

Dugg looked at Growley for a long moment. "Growley. Hey, Growley. I'm not gonna just sit here and let your life get ruined. Let me take your place for a day. Let me give you a chance to make this work."

Growley just shook his head. "I can't do that. You can't just swap out this guard, Duggy. It's too important. They have check-ins. They know who I am. You don't look like me at all. It wouldn't work." Growley shook his head again.

Dugg rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, man. It's not like you're a royal guard. They don't know your face. All I have to do is come in with a couple sweaters under my mail to look as big as you, and I'll be fine. We got the same color hair and eyes. We got this man. C'mon! Buck up. We got this."

Growley looked at Dugg uncertainly. "It's a pretty important job, Duggy. I don't know if I should just give it to someone else."

Dugg shook his head. "You need to talk to Donna. You need to. I know I'm not as big as you, and I can tell right now you'd hold your own better than me in the event of an attack. But we both know an attack isn't coming tomorrow. What we do know is that every moment you spend away from Donna is one more moment another guy could swoop in and take her from you. You gotta do it quickly, bud, or else she'll be gone forever."

Growley stared at Dugg for a long moment, then downed the rest of his tankard. "Damn it. You're right. Here." Growley slammed a metal crest down on the table in front of Dugg. Growley got up. "Four to twelve. E and F shift. Password is 'Harkinian'. You're a good man for doing this Duggy. A great man." A smile was starting to grow on Growley's face. "Me and Donna are gonna get married. And you are gonna be there!"

Dugg grabbed the crest in front of him and pocketed it, taking a quick look around to see if anyone had seen. He smiled at Growley. "Course I am. I'm not gonna risk my neck for you two and then not come to the wedding. I better get a free drink for this."

Growley laughed. "Of course, of course. Hold on. I'll get you and me another ale." Growley sat up and lumbered off. Dugg smiled and then cursed. A pain came from his pointer finger. He took his hand out of his pocket and examined it. Damn. A splinter. How unfortunate.

* * *

><p>Link was blind. He got his shield in front of him, frantically trying to figure out what was going on. The door had burst open seconds after Link had alerted the men. Then, there had been a bright flash. And now he couldn't see. He could hear men dying in front of him. He couldn't tell if it was Ghul or not. Probably not.<p>

Link blinked furiously. His vision was returning. They had not reached him yet. Link thanked the goddesses for that. He popped his eyes over his shield.

The crossbowmen were dying. There were two left, desperately fending off six assailants. They hadn't hit a single one. "Men! Together!" Link screamed. Small Hans and Lucien scrambled to his side. Derrick stayed where he was. He had not moved since he had unsheathed his blade. Link cursed. Had the man frozen up?

Link advanced quickly on the Ghul, Lucien and Small Hans keeping pace. He charged at one dressed as a guard, assuming the best fire stance he could muster. The Ghul deflected Link's first blow with his curved sword and grabbed a dagger from his belt and attempted to get it over Link's shield. Link punched the incoming dagger with his shield, knocking the Ghul's hand back, then punched out again, connecting with his face.

The Ghul reeled back, but recovered in time to block a horizontal slash from Lucien. Small Hans had charged head first into the densest part of the Ghuls in an attempt to save the last crossbowmen. Three Ghuls were moving to flank him while he wailed his hammer down on a fourth.

Link sucked in air and charged at the Ghuls around Small Hans only to be intercepted by two Ghul before he could get there. A wicked cut took Link under the eye, while another raked sparks across his shield. Link took a few steps back. The two advanced.

They both wore servant whites. One, Link was surprised to see, was a woman. She was the one who had cut him. He frowned. He could not be bested here. He had faced worse.

The male came in low and from the right, while the woman came high from the left. They were trying to back him into a corner. Link would not be so easily played. Link ran directly into the man, shield catching his half formed slash, and shoved it into the man's teeth. The woman's sword came veering in from the side. Link ducked it, barely.

The man grabbed the lip of Link's shield and pulled it down, thrusting his blade at Link. Link turned out of the way and contorted his body into a roll, disengaging. He hopped up next to Derrick, who was still motionless. Lucien backed up to the other side of Link, the Ghul dressed as a guard still engaging him. Five Ghul advanced.

Link was feeling the panic set in now. They could not win this battle. The Ghul had them in a corner. Lucien was the least skilled swordsman in the Guard, and Derrick had apparently frozen up. Link could not take five Ghul alone at once.

A Ghul in white struck first. Link blocked the low blow with his shield, parrying a higher one with his sword, only to see the thrust coming from the woman Ghul too late.

A thrust that never came. Flecks of blood hit Link's face as Derrick's blade severed the sword arm of the woman Ghul. She shrieked in pain, only to have her head lopped off as well. Blood spewed from the stump. Derrick kicked the flailing body into the others. Their servant whites were red now. The first Ghul to strike at Link disengaged and slashed out at Derrick, who ducked under the attack and lifted the Ghul by the sword he had lodged into his stomach.

Link leaped into action. A startled, bloody Ghul awkwardly tried to parry Link's feint, his throat bubbling as Link flicked his sword across it. Derrick shoved the dying man out of his way and attacked the last man in white. The Ghul parried the first, second and third blow. Then he lost his hand, organs and head. The guard Ghul threw down his weapons.

"I submit!" He cried. Three swords went to his throat. "I submit." He said again.

**You! Ya, you! Leave me a review, and I'll never forget you.**


	5. Chapter 5

** Aya: Romance will come, don't you worry. **

** MAS: She does not. No one but Link remembers the events of OOT or MM**

** SailorZeldatheLightAlchemist: Wat. Can you still not read it?**

** music watch: Yup, Michael is an r-tard.**

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><p>"Fuck!" Lucien sheathed his sword. "Fuck!" Lucien kicked the unconscious Ghul. "Fuck you!" Lucien kicked the unconscious man again. And again. And again.<p>

"Lucien. Please. We need him. Don't hurt him anymore." Derrick said quietly.

Lucien wheeled around. "Don't you tell me what to do. Don't you say another FUCKING word. What was that back there? Huh? You just stood there while Hans got cut down. He was our friend. He was my friend, anyway. You don't have any friends, do you Derrick? Fuck you. Fuck this." Lucien sat down, putting his head between his legs. Hans had three kids. Lucien couldn't tell them this. He just couldn't. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Link's.

"Hans was a friend to us all, Lucien. He, he died with honor." Link gave him a pat on the back. Lucien cringed. He didn't want to be touched.

"Get off me." Lucien abruptly stood up. He looked over at Hans. The big man had taken one of the demons with him, at least. Lucien turned away from the sight, there was too much blood. The Ghuls had bled him out, killed him slow. Lucien could not stomach their cruelty. Derrick just stood there, a blank expression on his face. Blood covered his uniform. None of it was his.

"Why? Why did you let him die?" Lucien walked toward Derrick. The man continued that blank stare. Lucien could not believe it. "WHY?" He screamed into Derrick's face. The man's eyes flicked down to him, and the blank stare left him. Derrick looked down in shame.

"It is the way. As soon as I heard them coming, I-" Derrick shook his head. "My training took hold. I cannot think for myself. I can only..." He paused. "The void tells me when to strike. The best time to strike. I cannot disobey the void." Lucien stared at him.

"Bullshit." Lucien's word were soaked with venom. Derrick's eyes stayed on the ground.

Link cleared his throat. "We need to take this man to the dungeon immediately. I will send someone for Hans and the others. There are still three out there, somewhere. Lucien, we need to find out where. Come on. We can talk about this later." Link looked over at Derrick, about to say something. Derrick abruptly started walking. He left the room. Lucien grabbed the unconscious Ghul. There would be nothing left of him once Lucien was done with him.

"Lucien." Link spoke quietly.

"What."

"The princess forbade torture."

"She did." Lucien walked off and out of the room. The princess wasn't here any more.

"One of our agents was attacked yesterday. An important agent." Impa spoke quickly.

"What? Which agent? Where?" Link asked.

"She was attacked off the road to Kakariko. This is serious Link. Very serious. I need you to go down to the cabin where we have hidden Zelda." Impa said seriously.

Link couldn't believe this. They had just cut the Ghul in half and imprisoned two more. Could it be possible they had discovered Zelda's position? "How many are coming with me?"

"Just you and Derrick. You will be going undercover. We cannot afford to send a large group. They will give away Zelda's identity. You have to go down there, get Zelda, and return here. Immediately."

"What of Michael?"

"Derrick will go with Michael and Captain Jacob. They will travel separately. The Ghul very probably know who and what they are all disguised as. We cannot afford to allow them to identify the group."

Link nodded. Derrick stayed silent, as always. The meeting had been called shortly after they had deposited the Ghul in the prison cell. Impa had met them in the dungeon. Lucien was being kept in the castle to guard the King. One could not be too careful.

"Here is a map to the cabin. Go. Now." Impa nodded brusquely to both of them, then marched off.

Link and Derrick began to run out simultaneously. This was not good at all. Link needed to get to Zelda. He could not believe they had been found so easily. His plan had failed. If they reached Zelda before him... Link could not think that way. He would get there first.

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><p>They were not even halfway there. Derrick clenched his teeth. It was growing dark. Link and he had been galloping through the forest to the cabin, making good time until they came upon a shirtless little man in the middle of the road. He had halted them with cries of distress, but that had simply been a ruse. The absurd little creature was demanding a toll. Link was not having it.<p>

"Move aside now. We will not pay the toll. That should be obvious. We are royal guardsmen, and we are currently on a very time sensitive mission. You will be cut down if you choose to stay as you are."

"You may attempt to cut me down, sir, but what of my friends? They will pincushion you! I will be left without a scratch. You have offended me. I don't want a toll anymore. I want your horses. Dismount."

Derrick saw Link was getting anxious. He could feel it as well. The princess was in danger! Hans' body flashed in his mind. Derrick tried to clear his head. Hans proved to be a vivid memory. "We have no money." Link continued. "We did not come out with any. We have nothing to offer you. We need to pass. Please move aside."

"Did you not listen to a word I said? I'm afraid coin isn't the only thing we are after. Dismount and be on your way."

"We need these horses." Link said with growing anger. "We are on a time sensitive mission! We cannot give you the horses."

"Oh? You cannot? Then it seems we will just have to take the horses, doesn't it?" The little man smiled. Derrick kicked his horse, springing her into action. There were at least five men in the forest around them. All with crossbows. They probably lacked experience against trained men however. They were probably not trained themselves. The best bet was to start moving.

The first bolt took Derrick's warhorse in the head. Derrick jumped off the falling animal, unsheathing his sword as he rolled out of the fall. The void came with his sword.

The forest disappeared. It was darkness.

The little man stood in front of him, reaching for a sword. Seven silhouettes in what was woods frantically reloaded. Derrick was on the little man. His sword moved easily through the man's throat. Derrick gasped. Such ecstasy. The void thrummed green and red. A rowdy little fellow! The void roared in his essence, and consumed it. Derrick was left with the smoke after the fire, the cloying spicy smell of a jester's incense.

Derrick shook with pleasure. What did the others taste like! The void loved that question.

Derrick danced through the leaves, a smile touching his eyes. The void flowed in and around him, blanketing him in warmth. Derrick was safe here. Everyone else was not. The void giggled.

Derrick rushed into a ditch containing three of the bandits. They were not prepared. His metal licked and tickled the skin of three men in a group. A drunk! A rapist! An idiot! What colors did they possess? They tasted like jam. The void chuckled. They loved jam!

Another thrum. The man on the road had his shield up. Why, Link! A pleasure, as always. Such strong limbs, such a shapely smile! The void laughed. A silly joke to play on Link. He was pretty enough to be a girl! The goddesses were such tricksters. Derrick leaped out of the bushes. Link can't be killed, he reminded the void. They pouted. Derrick smiled. Maybe one day!

Four bandits on the other side of the path, and they had taken out swords. Derrick pointed his sword at one. Him first! The void loved to make such declarations. Derrick excitedly sprinted toward him. The funny hairy man swung too high! Derrick uncorked his barrel chest. A little wine? The void giggled. Couldn't get drunk now!

A sword swung toward Derrick, but Derrick was not there. The void pouted. Derrick was so hard to catch! They had never beaten him in tag. They looked back to Derrick. He had killed them all? The void cried in despair. They had missed it!

Derrick sheathed his sword. The forest returned. Link had a cut on his cheek, a bolt in his shield. His horse had taken two in the gut. What terrible robbers. Link looked back at him, his face a mask. "You alright?" He asked.

"Not a scratch. Let's get out of here."

* * *

><p>Lucien had had a few drinks. Perhaps more than a few. He cursed. He was supposed to be on duty. He couldn't stop thinking about Hans, or the men that had killed him. "Fuckers." He muttered to himself, getting to his feet unsteadily.<p>

He was doing no good here. The king was not a target. They had put Lucien here for one reason and one reason alone.

He couldn't keep up.

Lucien cursed again. How many times had he missed training? How many times had he made excuses to his father? There were no excuses. Link was his age. Link had killed a Ghul. He had captured another. Lucien could claim neither. He had faced one in the tower. And he would have lost if it hadn't been for Derrick. He spat.

That fucker. Derrick. His father had spoken of him a few times. How he was as gifted a swordsman he had ever seen. Loyal too, despite being a foreigner. That bastard had saved Lucien. He had also left Hans to die.

"Hans has three kids." Lucien said to no one in particular. He was sitting in a small room with two other guards. The room led to the King's Chambers. Lucien had been stuck with them for the better part of an hour. Fuckers. Lucien had some questions for the Ghuls downstairs. He was doing no good here.

"What of it?" One of the guards asked. Thom. A pale man, with a scar near his lip. They had evidently not heard of the attack on the tower. Impa was keeping the entire episode very quiet. Apparently the woman disliked showing how terrible she was at her job. Her official explanation ran along the lines of 'not letting the other Ghul know what became of their agents'. Lucien knew she was just covering her ass. No one trusted the Sheikah.

"Nothing. Forget I mentioned it." Lucien looked over at Thom. "I'm not fit for duty, Thom." He looked at him seriously. "Look at me. I've been drinking. Call in a few other boys from the Inner Guard. They will more than make up for my absence." Thom was the Captain of the Inner Guard, and he had the authority to assign new men to the chamber.

"Have you no decency, Lucien? What would your father think?" Thom answered.

"Do not speak that way to your superiors, Captain." Lucien said dismissively. "Now, I have obviously been drinking. Do you really think I am in any condition to stay here?"

"No. I don't suppose you are. Very well. Dugg, go to quarters and find me three men to take the place of this one."

"Yes sir." Dugg saluted smartly and ran out the door. Such a disciplined boy. Probably had no idea what to do in a fight though. Lucien had sparred with Inner Guards before. They were inferior.

"Alright then! I suppose I'll be off then. Enjoy the rest of your day, Cap Thom!" Lucien waved behind him and exited the room, Thom's protests cut short by the slam of the door.

Lucien hopped into a drunken jog in the hallway. The prisoners wouldn't wait for him! They might start confessing before he got there! Lucien rounded the corner and tripped over a kneeling servant.

"Fuck you!" Lucien yelled at her, pushing himself up and turning to face her. "What the FUCK were you thinking? Huh?" He looked down on the frightened woman. He put a foot on her shoulder and kicked her to the ground. "Dumb ass." Lucien resumed his jog.

Which to question first? The first had been starving for awhile, he'd probably be ready to spill some secrets. The other would likely need some encouragement. Encouragement the princess had forbade. Oh well. The princess wasn't here now. Lucien hopped down a flight of stairs. Might as well get the tough one out of the way first! No sense in putting it off. Lucien hit a wall and pushed himself off it, rounding a corner and going down a flight of stairs. The Ghul were such skilled operatives. Lucien wondered if they took pride in their work. Almost certainly. He wondered how skilled they'd be without fingers. Not very skilled at all, he should think. It seemed he had a place to start.

Lucien walked down the last step of the stair way and looked around. The dungeons were such a dark, damp place. He proceeded down the narrow path, metal doors flanking his passage. He came to the one he knew to be occupied. He flung it open.

The Ghul hung from his shackled arms, naked. Lucien's lip curled.

* * *

><p>Captain Jacob knew how to cook. He had learned how early in his military career. The world of spices held no mysteries from him. He smiled as he watched Michael and Zelda quietly slurp down the soup. It might not be a royal dinner, but he could whip up something tasty.<p>

Michael finished first. He pointed his wooden spoon at Jacob. "You know, if it weren't for your insolent tongue, I would pay you a king's ransom to cook in my kitchens, captain."

Captain Jacob smiled, eyes crinkling. Michael was an emotional creature, and spoiled rotten, but he had charm too. "I'd gladly work in your kitchens when I retire, your Grace. I wouldn't even require a king's ransom. Just double my present rate."

Michael laughed, a fist pounding the table. "Zelda has told me what she pays you royal guards. I would be bankrupt within the month!"

Zelda remained silent. She had been very quiet recently. Jacob got up from his seat. "Would you like more, your Grace? The pot is still half full."

Michael put a hand to his stomach and feigned a look of pain. "I could not eat another mouthful! I am stuffed, sir." Jacob nodded. The boy had gone through three bowls. He should be stuffed. Zelda had yet to finish her first.

"My Lady, should I prepare you something else?" Captain Jacob kneeled next to her, shifting his sword out of the way. "You have barely touched the soup."

"No, no the soup is more than sufficient. Thank you, Jacob." Zelda looked down.

"My Lady, what's wrong? You have not been yourself lately."

Zelda shifted in her seat. She frowned. "Something is...wrong. Ever since the day started, I-" She shook her head slowly. "It is nothing. I am having a headache. Nothing more." She attempted a reassuring smile. She looked in pain.

"Princess-" There was a knock at the door. Captain Jacob snapped to attention, a hand on his sword. Everyone was still. Captain Jacob glanced at the others. Zelda was rigid, frozen in place. Michael looked back at Captain Jacob. Where was the boy's fear?

Another knock. Captain Jacob thought quickly. Jacob slowly pushed the kitchen table back, taking care not to make a sound. He turned over a small carpet and revealed a small door cut into the floor. He opened it. Zelda was not moving. He walked over to her and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Go." He whispered. Zelda stared back for a moment, then nodded. She began the descent. Captain Jacob looked over at Michael- why was he smiling? "Go." He whispered again.

Michael began to shake his head, but then Jacob's sword was at his throat. The boy was an imbecile. Michael gulped and nodded. He followed Zelda into the trapdoor.

One more knock. They would break it before the next one, Jacob was sure of it. Whoever this person was, they enjoyed drama. Assassins had a penchant for such things. They were soldiers without glory, executioners without justice. All they had was the big reveal. Jacob quickly covered the door again and checked the room. Only the one entrance. The windows were covered. Good.

He turned to the front door. He walked to the front door. He opened the front door, body tense. A single man in black stood before him, a small lantern in hand. He was several yards from Jacob. The forest was dark around him.

"Captain Jacob, I presume!" The man in black declared.

"Who?" Captain Jacob called back.

The man in black laughed. "Don't play coy, my captain! You are many things, but a good liar is not one of them. I have spent quite some time tracking you and your friends down. A lie will not save you now. I know who you harbor."

"Very well. Should I assume you are a Ghul then?"

"It would not be a bad assumption."

"Ah. I see. Well Ghul, what is your name? You know mine, let's hear yours." Captain Jacob was stalling. This man's knocking had hinted at arrogance, and Jacob planned to appeal to it. Zelda and Michael would need all the time they could get. The trap door was the entrance to a small passage. It would take them to a cave a half mile west. A minute more could mean the difference between life and death.

"Ghul are Ghul, my captain. My name is meaningless. Call me Death, if Ghul does not suit you."

Captain Jacob could read people. It was a talent he had honed over many years of active service. Some men were humble. They liked to apologize before they killed. Some men were arrogant. They liked to be known before they killed. Some men were clever. They liked to prove their cleverness before they killed. This man seemed to be the last two. "Death? That is foolish. I will not have 'killed Death' listed under my accomplishments in the Guardian Analects. I've never heard something so stupid!"

The Ghul's posture shifted. Jacob could almost feel his frown. "The Analects will speak of your defeat this day, my captain! Defeat, at the hands of Guire! Guire Sol!"

Captain Jacob let out a condescending laugh that was only half fake. "How do you spell that? I must make sure I tell the scribe your name correctly!" Guire Sol had taken the bait. He wanted to overcome Jacob in a verbal exchange now.

"I would tell you, my captain, but I know you are illiterate! It would be silly to provide you with letters."

"If you don't know how to spell your own name, you don't have to. I don't want to embarrass you, my friend."

"It seems idiocy and ignorance go hand in hand, my captain. I am here to kill you. We are most assuredly not friends."

"I have to disagree. You've been nothing but friendly since you came here. You politely knocked on my door, you graciously introduced yourself, and then you decided to start some idle chit chat. I'm half way to asking you to go hunting."

"I apologize then, my captain. I had not realized how old you were. It seems a profound dementia has taken you. A man dressed in black, armed to the teeth, has come to your doorstep at night, and you are so addled that you think him to be a friend. I have had enough of this. It pains me to see such weakness in an enemy."

Damn. The boy was out of patience. Jacob did not think he could stall any longer. "You will find me more than a match for you, I'm sorry to say. I don't quite know what you were thinking, Guire, but I am the greatest living swordsman in the east. You will fall to my blade."

Guire looked at Jacob for a moment. "My captain, did you think I came here alone?" Guire touched his lantern, twisting a small knob. The lantern illuminated more of the forest. The quivering light reflected off eyes and axes, boot straps and swords. A hundred men surrounded the clearing outside the house. Ugral mercenaries, by the look of it. Captain Jacob idly wondered how the boy in front of him had smuggled them into Hyrule.

"I am very aware of your talent, and now I am aware of your wit. You have done well in stalling for your charges, but the cave to the west has been blocked by a rock slide. Once we have defeated you, we will go into your trap door and find Zelda and Michael." Guire shook his head slowly. "I have been talking to you because I heard stories as a boy of your triumphs, and I wanted to meet the man himself. You are my hero, Captain Jacob. But I must kill you."

Captain Jacob shook his head."You don't have to do this." Captain Jacob said quietly. "Send these men back from where they came from, and join me in defending this great country. If I really am your hero, come with me. Let me show you a life of honor and pride."

Guire continued to look at Captain Jacob, his posture slumping slightly. "I already know a life of honor and pride, my captain. You have a king. I have a contract." He paused for a moment, waiting for Jacob to say something. The captain had no words. Guire nodded. "Attack."

Captain Jacob drew his sword, stepping back into the house. The door would be his funnel. Guire stood in the same spot, his mercenaries flowing past him, screaming and hollering. He wondered if they knew who he was. It was doubtful any of them understood the exchange. Hylian was not a well known tongue. He wished he could use a shield. He never understood how Derrick could go without. That was an anomaly even in the void stance. The barbarians were getting close.

Captain Jacob grinned. Derrick had tried to kill him once. They had first met on opposing sides of a civil war down south, back in Jacob's mercenary days. They had each been selected to champion two sides of a stalemated battle to decide which would take the patch of countryside. It had been the best fight of Captain Jacob's life. The scars Derrick gave him were the ones that still kept him up at night. The man had a joyful ferocity unmatched by the greatest of Ugral chieftains. It complemented Captain Jacob's own tranquil finesse well. The fight had lasted more than an hour. It had ended by, of all things, Jacob punching Derrick in the chin. Knocked the demon right out.

Jacob laughed. The barbarians were almost upon him. "Tremble, Ugral! You face Jacob Stone Sword, Last of the Farsung! The blood of three of your chieftains has stained this blade. Look upon your death, and despair!" Jacob bellowed to the rushing horde in an accented common tongue.

His sword caught the first in the throat.

* * *

><p>Dugg cleaned his sword as he walked into the royal chambers. King Harkinian sat with his back turned in a red velvet armchair, a book in one hand, a glass of brandy in the other. Dugg tossed his helmet off. He still hadn't got used to all that metal on his head. The King turned, startled, toward the noise.<p>

Dugg put a dagger to his throat, standing over the armchair. "Do not speak." Dugg said evenly. King Harkinian gulped.

"I think I owe you an explanation, your grace." Dugg began. "Let me begin by introducing myself. I am Grim, a Ghul." The King opened his mouth, words forming. Grim pressed the knife closer to his neck. "Yes. I know. It's unfortunate. I'm sorry. But you must understand." Grim circled around the armchair, pulled up a small table, and sat on it, eyes to the king. The knife remained at Harkinian's throat. "I am doing this for your daughter." The king's eyes widened at that. Grim lifted the knife from the man's throat slowly, then plunged it into his chest. The king attempted to scream. He let out a light wheezing instead. The knife had punctured a lung. The man would suffocate soon.

Grim stood and walked calmly back to his dropped helmet. He put it on. Time to leave.


	6. Chapter 6

**Y'all are probably mad. I'd be mad too. I'm sorry. **

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><p>Four Years Ago<p>

Link couldn't feel his legs. He had been sitting in the same position for the better part of an hour. He sat hunched in a bush, wood flute in hand, peering through the foliage. It was not very comfortable. He couldn't risk moving though. Not while he hid in the royal gardens.

"Impa, I already know this song! Teach me something new, please." Zelda said impatiently, fidgeting with her harp.

"It's not the song I'm trying to teach you. I can tell you already know the chord progression. Your fingering is off. This is an exercise in dexterity. Now, ready your instrument."

Link readied his instrument, leaning forward in anticipation. This was a fun song. It made Link think of a carnival. Zelda began to pluck her harp. Link fingered the holes on his flute. He was impressed with her skill. Zelda could pick up a melody after only one listen. Impa was right though. She needed work on her dexterity. Her strumming was not as crisp as it should be. Link would be in the same boat if he hadn't practiced on his own before coming.

He had been visiting the royal gardens ever since he came back from Termina. Sneaking in every other day had been easy. Link could always find Zelda. He could almost... feel her.

Link found he could not stay away from her. She was all he could think about. She was an angel. Her shining blue eyes, her long golden hair. A voice that made Link's skin prickle. The way she moved. The way she moved was like a dance.

But what really got Link was the way she smiled. Her smile made Link smile. It made the world smile. Link could not imagine that smile. He had to see it.

Zelda finished the song softly, eyes glazing over as her fingers left the strings. "Good." Impa said quietly, nodding.

Zelda's eyes remained distant. "Impa. Do you ever feel like you've forgotten something? Something important?" Link's eyes widened. What?

Impa stared at the girl for a moment. "How do you mean?"

"I'm not sure. It's just, every so often, when I let my mind wander... I don't know. Never mind. Forget I mentioned it." Zelda shook her head. The breeze stirred the leaves.

Impa paused, then walked up behind Zelda, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Some things are better forgotten, my child. Do not dwell on such things."

Link heard footsteps. A man in majestic robes approached, a guard to his right, with a blond boy trailing behind them. "Father!" Zelda called excitedly.

King Harkinian nodded stiffly to his daughter. "Zelda. Come with me. I have an emissary from Burna that wishes to see you. Captain Jacob, you may have the gardens for an hour."

The king turned, Zelda and Impa following as he left the gardens. The other man and the boy remained.

The captain waited until the royals had left before turning to the boy. "Alright Lucien, what was the first thing you noticed after coming into the gardens?"

Lucien hesitated, then said "There are pictures of two foreigners inside that window." Lucien pointed to the window. The captain gave Lucien a quick smack over the head.

"Not important. What else?"

Lucien rubbed his head."Umm, I think there is a rupee wedged in that windowsill. Who would put that there?" Another quick smack.

"Not important. Come on boy."

Lucien turned slowly around, his eyes scanning the entire area. For one terrifying moment they landed on Link. But then Lucien turned to the captain and shrugged. The captain sighed, then started walking off the way they had come in. Link tried to follow him with his eyes. Link looked back at Lucien. His eyes were following the captain. They seemed to be moving towards-

"This is what you missed!" Captain Jacob yanked Link out of his bush. Link frantically flailed his limbs, trying to knock the captain's hand off him. The man tossed Link down to the ground.

Link jumped to his feet, about to sprint away from the perceptive man, when he felt metal at his throat. The man had already pulled his steel! He was unnaturally fast.

"What do we have here? A would be assassin? What do you think Lucien?"

The boy stared at Link in bewilderment. "I-" Lucien stared at the flute in Link's hand. "I think he's here for lessons."

The captain stared at the flute. He held out his hand. Link slowly put the flute in the man's hand. The captain shook it a couple times, looked inside each of the holes, then gave it a cautious blow. "It is, in fact, a flute."

"Lucien is right." Link said quietly. The sword jabbed him slightly in warning.

"Don't say my son's name, boy. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now, given your intimate knowledge of the layout of the castle and total disregard for the laws of our kingdom."

Link looked into the man's eyes. They were green, forest green. Link smiled slightly. He wondered if this guardsman would be the one to take his life. Link doubted it. The man could, but he wouldn't. A moment passed. The captain's face twitched. "I was just here for lessons." Link said softly. He looked down.

The captain shifted. "I see."

* * *

><p>Present<p>

The rocks let in a few rays of sun, enough so that the lantern was no longer necessary. Zelda looked on in disbelief. They were trapped. The exit had been blocked. A pile of rocks, some larger than her, sealed them inside this goddess forsaken tunnel. Zelda's head was pounding. She sat down. Michael stood a few feet from her.

"What can we do?" Zelda began. She looked over to Michael. "How do we get out?"

Michael met her gaze. He didn't speak for a moment, then "We face our deaths with courage!" He said with gusto. "When fate gives you only one path to follow, you can only hold your head high and keep walking!"

Zelda could not believe what she was hearing. "You mean we should just accept this?" Zelda demanded. "Just let them come and take our lives?"

Michael sat down on Zelda's rock and put his arm around her waist. "You aren't letting them. You have no other choice. This is the only option left. Accept your destiny, princess. This is where you die. Where we die." He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Come. Don't be sad. We will be with the goddesses soon. An eternity of paradise awaits us."

Zelda shrugged him away. Michael held on for a moment, then let her go. She walked away from him. "You seem very comfortable with the idea of dying, Michael." Zelda took a breath, trying to calm herself.

"Accepting death is a part of life, my dear." Michael said gently.

Zelda turned back to Michael. His brows were knit in concern. Something was not right. Michael was not religious, nor was he calm in a crisis. She felt a cold settle between her shoulder blades. Michael seemed to notice a change. "Zelda, what's wrong?" He got up from his seat and walked towards her.

She backed away, only to hit the wall of the tunnel. Michael approached her slowly, a small reassuring smile on his handsome face. "You're acting strange, my love. What has gotten into you?"

Zelda inhaled quickly. "I don't think you plan on joining me in paradise, Michael."

Michael's smile slowly formed into a grimace, then a grin. "You were always too clever for me, Princess. No, I don't plan on dying here."

Zelda slumped down the wall. Not that it really mattered at this point, but the extra betrayal seemed to make the whole situation far worse. She shook her head disbelievingly, tears running down the corners of her eyes. "Why?" She asked quietly, shakily.

Michael looked a little taken aback by her tears. He kneeled down, craning his neck to look into Zelda's eyes. "Do you remember my little brother Jorge? Skinny little fellow, always smiling? You met him when you visited Burna, two years ago. I think we went riding together. He loves to ride. Anyway, little Jorge has always been something of a plotter. He came to me with this idea not long after your visit, actually."

Michael took a breath, and smiled. " You see, he believed that instead of having to wait for my son to inherit the united crowns, I could have it myself, less than five years down the line! Now, I thought that idea was too good to be true, but as he astutely pointed out, the Burnese and Hylian royal families are hardly two families at all, and that if push came to shove I actually would have a decent claim to the Hylian throne if I could get your father's consent, and you were out of the picture. Your death would obviously satisfy the latter, but the former would take some doing. This is where my little Jorge got a little crafty with his plot. You see, in his meetings with the Ghul, he assigned them to implicate the great nation of Raush in your assassination. It makes the most sense, doesn't it? Those nasty Raushians are always trying to weaken their neighbors!"

Michael let out a little chuckle. "But now see what we've done? We give Hyrule and Burna a common enemy. We march on Raush as one. We become two nations united, taking vengeance on the demons that stole Your Shining Majesty from us. Your father and I have always been close. He started calling me son last winter at that lovely feast you threw in my honor. I don't doubt he'd name me his heir. He would give me his kingdom, Zelda. You know he would."

Michael hovered over her for a moment, expectantly. Zelda curled up into a ball. She had never felt such despair.

* * *

><p>Link felt something.<p>

He walked with Derrick in the woods. The light rustle of leaves and the hooting of owls echoed among the trees. But there was something else. Something awful and deep. Link turned to his right, and the world was silent for a moment. He dropped to his knees.

Derrick fell beside him. "Link!"

Link kept looking to the source of his distress. He pointed in that direction. "What lies there?"

Derrick looked in the direction he pointed, and squinted. "What? Li-"

"No. What lies there?" He repeated.

Derrick pulled out the map. He glanced at the position of the sun. "The secret tunnel's exit. Link, please, help me understand."

Link closed his eyes for a second. His head tilted slightly. He heard a few notes to a melody, and saw the shape of a smile. "Zelda is over there. She needs help."

Derrick stared at him for a moment. Link stared back. Derrick nodded. "Let's go."

They ran threw the forest as quick as their legs could carry them. Link was in excellent shape, but Derrick managed to keep pace with him. They ran for a little less than an hour.

They burst into the clearing the exit laid in. Derrick panted heavily.

Rocks covered the exit. Link sprinted to the pile. The power of the feeling had increased, and grew more distinct. A twinge of hate, and immeasurable sadness. Link jumped on the pile. "Derrick! Help me!"

Derrick ran up to the rocks. Link had begun digging the rocks out furiously. Derrick moved to help him. Their digging was frenzied.

"I will not lose her! Not again. Not ever!" Link screamed.

* * *

><p>Zelda heard vague scraping sounds coming out of the world outside her dress. She was not interested in them. She was going to die, and her kingdom was going to suffer. Betrayed by the man she was to marry.<p>

Zelda shook her head as fully formed thoughts began to decompose around her. She tried desperately to climb out of her sadness, to think of a way out, but she could not muster another perspective. Everything she loved was to be taken, and she was helpless. She could not begin to comprehend or process it. She was struck with the most primal sense of loss. She cried. She could not stop crying.

"Now now Princess. That's quite enough of that." A new voice. Zelda looked up. A man in black emerged from the shadows, a lantern in hand.

"Ah, finally. It took you long enough." Michael stood. "I have had to listen to this incessant weeping for hours!" The scratches were growing in intensity. Zelda glanced at the rocks.

"Yes, well, your lovely captain put up a beautiful fight, and managed to dam up the entrance to your fine little cottage with the dead. A strategy I must admit I have never seen before." The man in black cracked his neck. "All's well that ends well though." He pulled out a long, thin blade. "Now, who's first!" He said lightly.

Michael twitched. "I had not realized trained killers were capable of jokes! Just the girl, Ghul. Please make it painless. I'd hate to watch her suffer." The peculiar scratching was getting even louder. It was close.

The Ghul hummed a little, twirling his sword lazily. "I never understood why you didn't attend the meetings with your brother. Were you afraid, Michael?" Zelda stood slowly, backing toward the rock slide.

Michael shifted slightly. "What, no! Of course not! Can we please not drag this out? I grow weary of this wretched cave!"

"I'm afraid I need you to understand what is about to happen to you. You see, I'm not just here to kill Her Majesty."

Michael's eyes bulged. "What are you saying?"

The Ghul tilted his head slightly. "Jorge is such a nice boy. I suppose I can see how you let your guard down. But really, never trust a younger brother to negotiate with assassins for you. Especially if you are a prince."

There was blinding light. Zelda gasped in pain. She heard shouting, and a hand grabbed her.

* * *

><p>Link squeezed through the hole Derrick had uncovered, plunging into darkness. Link landed a foot from Zelda, three from Michael. A partially obscured man in black recoiled from the light. Link drew his sword. The Ghul looked at him, then twisted around and ran deeper into the tunnel.<p>

Derrick had grabbed Zelda and was in the process of pulling her out of the cave. Link kept an eye on the darkness. "Come on Michael, we are getting you out of here. Do you need any help?"

Michael, for once, was totally silent. Link glanced at him. He was pale. "Here. I'll give you a boost."

Link helped Michael out of the cave. He took one more look around. Nothing. Link grabbed Derrick's outstretched hand and was pulled out of the cave.

Zelda had gotten down from the rocks. She was breathing heavily. Link walked over to her. "Are you alright?"

Zelda shook her head. She glanced at Michael, who leaned on a tree. "He set all this up. At least some of it anyway." She said vehemently.

"It got away from you, didn't it!" She screamed at Michael. Michael looked at her, a sick look on his face. She stopped herself. She took a breath.

"Michael and his brother hired the Ghul. His brother got them to sign up to kill Michael too though." Link could not believe what he was hearing.

"What!" Link whirled around to face Michael. "You hired assassins to kill Zelda?"

Michael stared off into space.

Link walked slowly toward him. Michael did nothing. Rage darkened Link's vision. "You will die for this." Link unsheathed his sword.

The leaves rustled. A man stepped out from the tree on which Michael leaned. He was dressed as a peasant, in pale blue and white linens. His dark hair framed his smooth, tan face. Link knew the face.

"Please. Do not kill this man." perfect Hylian left his lips.

Link paused. "Derrick. That man is a Ghul."

Grim put his hands up in supplication, but Derrick drew his sword and began to walk toward him.

"You must listen. The king is dead. Their plan cannot be carried out. Let me take Michael back to Burna, so he can execute Jorge for treason. Please. I beg you."

Michael sputtered to life. "Yes! Yes, that would work!"

Zelda spoke up. "My father is... dead?"

"Do not listen to him Zelda! It's a ploy! How did you track us Ghul? What magic is this?" Link shouted.

Grim cursed. "You must listen! Do not kill this man! The pact was signed with Jorge, not Michael! It will be void if we can get this man back to Burna and have him execute Jorge! The Ghul will stop. The war won't happen. Please. Listen."

Link shook his head at that. "Why are you trying to void the pact? What war?"

Zelda spoke up. "Is... is my father really dead?"

Grim looked up at her. Derrick had stopped approaching. Grim reached slowly behind him, eyes darting between Link and Derrick. He fiddled with something behind his neck for a moment, then grabbed it from the front. He tossed it at Zelda's feet.

She gasped, and fell to her knees. Link took a look at it. It was the royal pendant. Link cursed. "You murderous fuck. You killed the king? Enough of this. Derrick, let's kill them both."

"Wait." Link looked back. Zelda stared at him, still on her knees. "My father's death would have ended the plot against the Hylian throne." She took a shaky breath, an edge creeping into her voice. "Had we been killed in that tunnel. But we are saved. We could have told my father the plot. You killed my father for nothing."

Grim shook his head furiously. "Does it matter which war this mess would have caused? I have researched your father extensively, Princess. I know his history. If there was not war in Raush, then there would have been one in Burna. I took one life to save a hundred thousand lives! Can you not see it?"

Zelda did not speak. She breathed heavily.

"Zelda, don't you see? We can stop the bloodshed! Isn't that what you want?" Michael said desperately, a shaky smile on his fat red lips.

Link could not take that. He marched toward Michael. Fury consumed him. Grim stepped forward, a blade in hand, only to narrowly dodge Derrick's sword careening towards his head. They exchanged blows for a moment, then Grim cursed and snapped his fingers. He disappeared in a burst of light and smoke.

Link hefted his sword. Michael began backing up, handsome face twisted in terror. Behind all the airs and illusions of power, he was weak. Link's lip curled in disgust. This was the lowest creature he had ever had the displeasure of killing.

Link raised his sword over the man. Michael screamed a girlish scream. Link split his head open.

END OF PART ONE

* * *

><p><strong>I developed quite a world for this story, and I have sort of a bare bones structure to what has happened and what is going to happen to Zelda, Link and company. Would you guys prefer me to go back or forward in time?<strong>

**Let's dance the night away, baby.**


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